Posted by Jon Walsh to receive this year’s Guy Lacelle Award
Arcteryx Equipment is honoured to announce that this year’s recipient of the Guy Lacelle Pure Spirit Award goes to Jon Walsh.
In December 2009, Canadian climbing lost one of its finest souls when Guy Lacelle died in an avalanche in Montana. Since then, three of Guy’s sponsors — Arc’teryx, Petzl and La Sportiva have teamed up to continue to honour Guy’s memory through the Guy Lacelle Pure Spirit Award. This award is given each year to a Canadian climber who embodies Guy’s path, combining world-class talent with humility, grace and a fierce commitment to the right way to climb.
This year’s recipient has all these characteristics in spades: in the last decade, Calgary’s Jon Walsh has compiled a stunning résumé, with major ascents, including many firsts, in Canada and around the world. Jon has been one of those climbers who has been shining just below the horizon, quietly involved in some of the cutting-edge climbs on the world stage, especially in the alpine, where he’s put up new routes in the Bugaboos, on Robson, in Greenland, in Patagonia, and in the Himalaya.
Jon was overjoyed when he got news of the award, and said, “I’m lucky to be surrounded by so much climbing spirit, and I believe that Guy and many of his partners are largely responsible for building that foundation in our community. Guy’s psyche, modesty, and blissful approach had a strong influence on me, and his achievements are incredibly inspiring. I’m deeply humbled and honoured that the award committee feels I share a similar attitude and values.”
Thanks to the generous commitments of all the sponsors, Jon will receive an award of gear equivalent to the amount that Guy would have been given in a year. Previous award winners were Eamonn Walsh of Canmore, and Quebec’s PeeWee Ouelette.
Watch this video which pays tribute to the life of Guy Lacelle
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